Muriel Lylie Porter (née Carter, born 15 May 1948) is an Australian journalist based in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
. She is a frequent contributor to ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
''
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
and ''The Melbourne Anglican'' diocesan newspaper, for which she mostly writes about issues concerning the
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the R ...
in which she is a prominent layperson. Porter is a representative of the
Anglican Diocese of Melbourne
The Anglican Diocese of Melbourne is the metropolitan diocese of the Province of Victoria in the Anglican Church of Australia. The diocese was founded from the Diocese of Australia by letters patent of 25 June 1847[General Synod The General Synod is the title of the governing body of some church organizations. Anglican Communion
The General Synod of the Church of England, which was established in 1970 replacing the Church Assembly (Church of England), Church Assembly, is t ...]
of the Anglican Church of Australia.
She is critical of
megachurches
A megachurch is a church with an unusually large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities, usually Protestant or Evangelical. The Hartford Institute for Religion Research defines a megachurch as any Protestant C ...
and is an advocate of the
ordination of women
The ordination of women to ministerial or priestly office is an increasingly common practice among some contemporary major religious groups. It remains a controversial issue in certain Christian traditions and most denominations in which "ordina ...
,
homosexual unions and allowing non-celibate homosexual people to become clergy. She was involved in the formation of an Anglican submission recommending abortion be legalised in Victoria. She is also the author of several books, including ''The New Puritans: the rise of fundamentalism in the Anglican Church'', a book which is a critique of evangelicals in the Anglican Church.
Background and career
Muriel Porter was born in
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, to Richard John Carter and Thelma Edith Richards. She was educated at
Riverside Girls High School
, motto_translation = no word or deeds
, established = 1934
, type = Public, secondary, single-sex, day school
, principal = Louise McNeil
, captains =
, city = Huntleys Point, New South Wales
, state = New South ...
in
Gladesville
Gladesville is a suburb in the Lower North Shore of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Gladesville is located 10 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Ryde a ...
, the
University of New England, the
Australian National University
The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...
, the
Australian Catholic University
Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome.
History
Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...
and the
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...
.
Her PhD thesis was titled ''The defence of the marriage of priests in the English Reformation'' (1998)''.''
Porter began a career in
journalism
Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (profes ...
as a cadet at the ''
Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper i ...
'' and then worked for a number of different newspapers including the ''
Cambridge Evening News
The ''Cambridge News'' (formerly the ''Cambridge Evening News'') is a British daily newspaper. Published each weekday and on Saturdays, it is distributed from its Waterbeach base. In the period December 2010 – June 2011 it had an average dail ...
''.
Porter was a member of staff at
RMIT University
RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city ...
in the journalism program and holds an honorary position at the University of Melbourne, lecturing on historical and philosophical studies.
In 2002, Porter was awarded the
Medal of the Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...
for service to the community as an advocate for women's and social justice issues, and to the
Anglican Church of Australia
The Anglican Church of Australia, formerly known as the Church of England in Australia and Tasmania, is a Christian church in Australia and an autonomous church of the Anglican Communion. It is the second largest church in Australia after the R ...
.
Theological views
Porter's theological view points are liberal. Liturgically she is in the
Anglo-Catholic
Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches.
The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglican ...
tradition. She has been very active in campaigning for women's ordination in the
Diocese of Melbourne and in the Anglican Church in Australia where she serves on the church's general synod.
Published works
*''Beyond the twelve: women disciples in the Gospels'' (1989)
*''Women in the church: the great ordination debate in Australia'' (1989)
*''Land of the spirit?: the Australian religious experience'' (1990)
*''Sex, marriage and the church : patterns of change'' (1996)
*''Sex, power & the clergy'' (2003)
*''The new puritans: the rise of fundamentalism in the Anglican Church'' (2006)
*''Women in purple : women bishops in Australia'' (2008)
*''Sydney Anglicans and the Threat to World Anglicanism: The Sydney Experiment'' (2011)
*''New exile? The future of Anglicanism'' (2015)
*''A man called Johnny Mac: Selected writings of Bishop John McIntyre'' (2015)
See also
*
Liberal Anglo-Catholicism
The terms liberal Anglo-Catholicism, liberal Anglo-Catholic or simply Liberal Catholic, refer to people, beliefs and practices within Anglicanism that affirm liberal Christian perspectives while maintaining the traditions culturally associated wit ...
*
Ordination of women in the Anglican Communion
The ordination of women in the Anglican Communion has been increasingly common in certain provinces since the 1970s. Several provinces, however, and certain dioceses within otherwise ordaining provinces, continue to ordain only men. Disputes ove ...
References
External links
''The Religion Report'' (ABC): "Anglicans on Notice"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, Muriel
1948 births
Australian Anglicans
Australian journalists
Australian National University alumni
Living people
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Religion journalists
Academic staff of RMIT University
University of Melbourne alumni
University of New England (Australia) alumni
The Sydney Morning Herald people